Manchester City agree €25m deal to sign teenager Claudio Echeverri from River Plate

Echeverri’s contract expires at the end of next year but he had refused to commit his future beyond then amid interest from the Premier League champions and Barcelona.

CITY BOUND: Claudio Echeverri of River Plate will close to sealing a move to Manchester City. (Photo by Luciano Bisbal/Getty Images)

Manchester City have agreed a deal to sign Argentina’s Under-17 World Cup star Claudio Echeverri from River Plate for €25m (£21.7m), beating Barcelona to his signature.

The 17-year-old midfielder, who scored a hat-trick over Brazil in the quarter-finals of the tournament in Indonesia last month, will remain with the Argentinian club for another year on loan as part of the deal after City held productive talks this week.